FIRST LOOKS

Titles include Daisy Kutter #3 from Viper Comics and WildGuard: Fire Power and Noble Causes #3 from Image Comics.

STAR WARS: OBSESSION

Star Wars: Obsession, a five-issue limited series from Dark Horse Comics that starts in November, recounts Obi-Wan Kenobi's brush with the dark side as he embarks on a mission fraught with peril.

Here's how Dark Horse describes the book:

"While Anakin Skywalker enjoys a brief respite from the Clone Wars (and a reunion with his secret wife Padmé Amidala), Obi-Wan embarks on a 'personal' mission. Kenobi¹s first stop is a frontier town on the swamp world of Trigalis, where he fights a small army of bounty hunters, duels with a crime lord who has ties to Count Dooku, and obtains undercover help from fellow Jedi Aayla Secura. He's doing all that just to verify a rumor about an enemy he can¹t forget."

Obsession writer Haden Blackman saud, "Obsession definitely takes Obi-Wan into new and darker territory. He is on a very serious and personal quest, which he initially undertakes alone. During the course of his mission, we get to see him in a different light: obsessed, haggard and emotional. This combination is dangerous and could lead to the dark side, but at his core, Obi-Wan is intent on doing something heroic---in his mind, his quest is about saving someone else from the dark side.

"Unfortunately, Anakin doesn't see it that way. Anakin simply believes that Obi-Wan is blindly chasing ghosts. At the same time, we're seeing Anakin in a different light too: happy with his life and happy with Padmé. When Obi-Wan does seek out Anakin's help, Skywalker is reluctant, both because he's content and because he doesn't believe in the mission.

"In some ways, the story is about obsession for all the characters. Obi-Wan is obsessed with saving a specific character, Anakin is obsessed with proving himself, and one of the villains is obsessed with becoming a true Sith. But the story is also about loyalty. Obi-Wan inspires loyalty in others, whom we see coming to his aid. And by the story's conclusion, we'll see that despite their differences, Obi-Wan and Anakin are incredibly loyal to one another."

Blackman explained where Obsession fits in with Star Wars continuity.

"Obsession deals with the fates of several characters we've introduced through the comics," he said. "In some ways, we're tying up loose ends before Episode III, but we're also setting up a few characters for the post-Episode III era, which is really exciting. Obsession also fits into Obi-Wan's overall character arc in that it allows him to understand the dangers of emotion for a Jedi and teaches him that 'when you look into the abyss, the abyss looks back.' There's a danger that, in his well-intentioned efforts to save another from the dark side, Obi-Wan could slide to the dark side himself.²

The mini-series, which launches on Nov. 17, is drawn by Brian Ching.

SMALLVILLE UPDATE

The WB has released a description for "Transference," the Wednesday, Oct. 27 episode of Smallville.

Here's how the network describes the episode:

"Clark (Tom Welling) hears a painful ringing sound in his ears and is drawn to the prison where Lionel (John Glover) is being held. When he sees Lionel attempt to stab Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) with a strange glowing stone, Clark grabs for the stone causing the two men to switch bodies. Learning his new body has super powers, Lionel immediately begins wreaking havoc on Smallville. Trapped behind bars without his powers, Clark must figure out a way to get his body and powers back in order to save his friends and family."

James Marshall directed the episode, which was written by Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer.

BRIEFLY

Christina Z. is writing a one-shot comic based on the video-game property BloodRayne titled Seeds of Sin. The book, drawn by Kody Chamberlain, will be released from Digital Webbing in March.

Monday: TV news -- and much more!!!

COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES

In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links: